Feb. 22, 2010 issue
Israel’s deception
By June Forsyth Kenagy Albany, Ore.Thanks for a hard-hitting but honest article by Kathleen Kern regarding Israel’s deceptive stance on peace while it deports peace activists and steals Palestinian homes and land.
Israel’s words don’t match its actions and basic intent, which is getting all the Palestinian land with as few Palestinians as possible left on it. Worse, Israel’s actions are so violent, so disdainful of human rights, that no follower of Christ should support them. And they are a disgraceful departure from the historic Jewish love of justice.
Israel is in a self-destructive downward spiral. She has become a roiling black hole of violent militarism, sucking in any nation that comes close. The injustice in Israel has increased violence worldwide.
We who believe in peace should work with all our might to promote justice, negotiation, reconciliation, loving enemies. The world sorely needs our Anabaptist witness now.
Comments
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I continue to be deeply disturbed by the articles and letters from the religious left that paint Israel as the trouble maker in the Middle East. I am certain the government of Israel is deeply concerned for the safety of its citizens and will do what is necessary to provide them with needed protection as well as all nationalities within its boundaries. There are many in that area that have a deep hatred for the Israel and will look for opportunities to maim and destroy its citizens.
For those truth seekers, I refer you to Friends Of Israel website www.fol.org This website contains many incidents that show where Israel security authorities have had to take protective action that leftists’ would be highly critical of.
In addition, I refer you to verses in Genesis 12 where God states very clearly regarding His chosen people, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.” God did not provide an expiration date or condition on that statement The religious left frequently takes a very sympathetic and supportive attitude toward those who curse Israel as expressed in their deep desire to destroy it. The religious left attitudes against Israel cannot be considered as blessing.
The problem with the religious left is they are promoting a pseudo peace that is the absence of trouble, whereas the true peace is the presence of God. If they are interested in the true peace of God, they would be distributing scripture booklets available from World Missionary Press in New Paris, IN. True peace is readily available. Why not promote it rather than a pseudo peace?
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Dale, Israel stole that land through gross acts of terrorism, and the United States went ahead and granted them statehood even after it was clear that British peace keepers had been murdered by illegal immigrants from europe who had no right to invade the area.
Israel to this day is in denial of that, and continues to import more people into the region to serve as settlers on even more stolen land. So its very convenient that now they can lie to the world and say "look we are only trying to defend ourselves", but if those settlers didnt show up, there would be nobody to have to defend.
Yet Palestinians ARE defending themselves and are getting labeled as terrorists, and murderers. Soldiers show up at Palestinian homes and arrest the head of the household, thus ensuring that his wife and children are left to starve or leave the region seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
There is a huge population of Palestinians residing in those neighboring countries living in refugee quarters, waiting until they can return home, yet more and more settlers are showing up from european countries to claim Palestinian land as their own.
There shouldnt be any immigration to Israel, when Palestinians are not allowed back into their own homes. Its disgusting that their suffering continues to be ignored simply because most of them are muslim, but let us not forget that some are Christian as well, and Israelis care nothing for Christians, and treat ALL Palestinians the very same way.
Its a gross sin to support a country such as Israel in its insatiable thirst for land and blood.
[Editor's note: This statement contains information that is unclear, and potentially factually inaccurate.]
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Dale, once again. As the region's strongest military power, many of the cards for creating peace are in Israel's hands. Criticizing the Israeli government's decisions against peace is holding them to account as worshipers of the same God, who gives us all the same set of commandments, all of which work toward greater social justice.
Gladiola, reading what you write is appalling. Yes, Israel must act toward justice, yes it must rectify the Palestinian refugee situation it created. However, some militant Palestinians do themselves and their fellow Palestinians no favors in launching bottle rockets at Israeli settlements. In a country where everyone knows someone who has been killed in a suicide attack, these rockets certainly do not foster a feeling of security for Israelis that could lead to peace.
There has always been a push-pull factor for Jewish settlers in Israel. Yes, Israel encourages Jews to come (never mind that it is one of the few countries that does), but the antisemitic policies of some countries have created a powerful push toward Israel, too.
The situation we have now is better for peace. Palestine is no longer a political football for the Arab nationalist movement. Peace has been secured with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. Permanent peace has been offered by Syria in exchange for more equitable treatment of Palestinians and the resolution of the sixty-year-old Palestinian refugee crisis. It is Israel's prerogative to act, and it is in Israel's long-term best interests to find an equitable solution.
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Dale, If I can understand you, you mention the boundaries of Israel. That is the problem.
Could you describe those boundaries? Does it include the settlements? Does it include the occupied territories? Does it include what is on the Israel "side" of the wall? The wall divides farmers' land. Some farmers' land is on one side of the wall and the rest is on the other side.
Dale, would it not be helpful to also read other viewpoints beside pro-Israel? I find it helpful. It might be helpful to study the current boundaries and settlements. Maybe even go to that area. What you would see would be astounding. I have seen many pictures, heard and read many reports. I even plan to go there this year on both sides of the wall. If it is any different than I have wrote, I will report it here--positive or negative.
Israel keeps unilaterally changing the boundaries--by war over the years and by its actions, decrees, and violations of UN Resolutions.
I still think your theology does not match the mind of God. Why does the "religious right" (I only use that term because you refer to the religious left.) focus so strongly on the OT and forget that "No one comes to the Father except by me"? The Jews are not followers of Christ. How can self called Christians put Jews in a position closer to God than Christians? Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
Study John 8. In v. 41, the Jews denied that Abraham was their father. "The only Father we have is God himself." It is strange that you want to propagate what Jews in the presence of Jesus denied. It seems they denied that they were a part of Abraham's nation. Study the context.
No one is always "left" or "right" so we should be honest and avoid both terms.
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Les, you indicated you have plans to go to Israel to have a direct view of what is going on. May I suggest that you also make plans to visit Ahmadinejad and persuade him to accept Israel’s right to exist and to discontinue developing missiles and nuclear weapons that will threaten Israel. Take Ms. Kern with you for support and a good supply of scripture booklets from World Missionary Press. Because these booklets contain scripture verses, they can be viewed as mind changers as they have for millions of readers. If you could accomplish a mind change for Ahmadinejad, think how thankful Israel and the rest of the world would be.
In Kathleen Kern’s article in MWR titled ‘WHAT ISRAELIS MAY NOT KNOW, she refers to supporters of Israel as the Christian Right. That is why I used the term Religious Left in my comments. Ms. Kern is a frequent criticizer of Israel, therefore, we can conclude that the flip side of her comment about the Christian Right as supporters of Israel is that the criticizers of Israel are the Religious Left. I want to be a friend of God’s people of Israel and His people not living in Israel. Satan hates Israel which is why there is so much hate and criticism against Israel today.
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Dale. Seriously? Are you really saying one either fully accepts everything Israel does or one is siding with Ahmadinijad? Are you really saying that criticism is the same as hatred? Is everything that binary? Would that the world would be so constructed! It would surely spare us the energy absorbed in thought.
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Dale, where did you learn that Satan hates Israel? Where in the Bible does it mention that Satan hates a "nation"? Can Satan be successful when he hates a nation or an individual? Why would he hate Israel when there are so few Christians there? I note you did not quote the Bible--didn't you criticize someone else for that omission?
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Les, in general I tend to agree with your arguments, but I find the consistent successionist thread in your arguments objectionable. Particularly your comment "Why would [Satan] hate Israel when there are so few Christians there?" demands response in particular.
Jews worship the same God that Christians do, and good Jews, just as good Christians, seek to follow the commandments and the will of God. Between religious Jews and religious Christians, there is no discernible difference in levels of faith in God. Surely the salvation of Christians did not come at the cost of condemnation for Jews. Surely God's mercy is not so limited that He would turn away those who seek Him. Surely Satan would not rejoice in this.
The fact is certainly not central to Christianity to the extent that some have made it to be, and it is problematic at best. I am aware of the relevant scriptures, but there is more than one possible interpretation. At worst, successionist theology is downright odious. It has led to much Jewish suffering and death.
I would recommend reading: Mary C. Boys, Ed. "Seeing Judaism Anew: Christianity's Sacred Obligation,"(Rowman and Littlefield, 2005).
Katherine T. Hargrove, RSCJ, Ed. "Seeds of Reconciliation: Essays on Jewish-Christian Understanding," (BIBAL Press, Inc., 1996).
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Paragraph 3, first sentence, should read: "The fact is successionism is certainly not central to Christianity to the extent that some have made it to be, and it is problematic at best."
Sorry.
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I just found this site and was fascinated by the comments on my original letter. Regarding criticism indicating hate toward those criticized: don't you criticize your children because you love them? I criticize Israel just as I criticize the US. I do it to change the situation for the better. Kathleen Kern also does that. The fact is that if Israel keeps on preventing peace by preventing a Palestinian state (denying its "right to exist"), and keeps on building settlements around and between Palestinian towns, then the two-state solution will be impossible. At that point, the only solution will be the one-state solution. Since Palestinians will soon outnumber Jews in the area, and since the world will insist that all citizens of the state be allowed to vote, then Palestinians will be able to outvote Jews and Israel will no longer be a Jewish state. Not that I'm against that eventuality; a binational state would actually be a more Christ-like option, with equal rights for all. I find the belief that God prefers Jews above all other peoples to be quite racist. I could never serve such a racist God. I prefer the God that Jesus showed us, who so loved "the world" not just the Jews. That's the Jesus who said we could worship the spirit God anywhere, not just in the Jewish temple. The Gospel writer John said in John 11:51-52 that Jesus came to die for Jews, but not for them alone, instead for all the children of God scattered abroad. This is not successionism, but inclusiveness.
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June--To be sure, I did not see successionism in your letter. In fact, I agree with the points you make. I was mainly responding to some of the comments, particularly the line, "Why would Satan hate Israel when there are so few Christians there?"
I find much disturbing about Israel's announcement about new settlements in East Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden's visit. How can the media so easily reduce it to a matter of timing? The horrible part was the message itself. Again, it is some far-right coalition declaring that all peace efforts must fall to the Palestinians, and that Israel will give nothing. That is hardly a road to peace, and certainly makes any Israeli overtures toward peace ring all the more hollow.
In some ways, the timing was excellent. Given that the Israeli government has often clandestinely bulldozed Palestinian homes even as Israeli diplomats have loudly engaged in the peace process, the timing of this action makes the reality of such travesties undeniable.
That said, how might we, as Christians, reach out to and include the many Jews who also find Israel's actions problematic in our rhetoric? I am sure there is much such interaction and cooperation in practice, but our arguments do not always reflect it. I am not referring to any statements in particular here, but it is definitely something to think about if we truly want to accomplish peace. With so much of the conflict dictated by fears on both sides, how might we best assuage those fears?
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I am responding to comments made by Ms Kenagy.
Jesus died on the cross for Jew and non-Jews, however, the Jews have been God’s chosen people and will remain his chosen people through the end of this age. In Revelation 7, we read about the 144,000 sealed, 12,000 from each of the tribes of the Children of Israel.
Matthew lists all the descendents of Abraham through Joseph, forty-two generations. There were 12 generations from Abraham to David, 12 generations from David to being carried away to Babylon and 12 generations to the birth of Jesus.
The nation status of Israel ceased 586 BC and after 2534 years, Israel was restored as a nation in 1948. This can only be explained that the Jews remain God’s chosen people. The restoration of the Israeli nation in 1948 was no accident, but it confirms this land, currently occupied by Israel, was deeded to Israel as promised by God to Abraham. It is evidence that God’s timetable in world affairs is on schedule and his timetable centers on Israel, his chosen people.
All people who accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour are grafted in as we read in Romans 11. All people are a part of the human race, but to become a child of God requires faith in Jesus Christ.
A bi national state will never work because the deep rooted hatred of Israel by nearby nations. Where in history has a bi national state ever existed under ideal conditions? Even in churches and marriages, relations become strained and severe problems occur that result in separations.
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Someone at the top suggested g-d wouldn't like anyone dumping poo-poo on the Hebrews. He makes the assumption that the zionists are the Hebrews. There are some orthodox True Torah Rebbes who would respectfully ask to differ with you or, maybe, just snort in your direction. Their website is www.jewsagainstzionism.com and see what this zionism is about in its own words as collected and sometimes documented with scans of the actual page of, say, Life Magazine, or NYT, showing the quotation. The Rebbes are firmly of the opinion that zionism will bring great harm to all Jewry, the Hebrews.
Murdoch, for instance, is their Goebbels. Imagine Goebbels on Madison Avenue. Anyone who could take over the minds of one of the most generally sophisticated cultures on the planet would simply be a scythe amongst the plant-like rubes. Murdock's a good student but also has an easier audience.
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Satan can't possibly hate the modern day zionist state because it was created upon satan's principles. satan does hate the name Israel and has chosen a holy name in order to blaspheme Christ upon the Earth. I personally feel an anti-christ figure will step on the scene in Jerusalem to try and "save" the day.
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